Best of the Boat bank: Yampa Valley Bank

Yampa Valley Bank President board chairman Tim Borden, left, and president PJ Wharton are proud of being recognized as operating one of the top performing banks in the country. (Photo by Matt Stensland)

Genuine hometown banking. That's what Yampa Valley Bank hangs its hat on and what its customers get when they do business with Steamboat's community-owned bank.

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Overseen by a 16-member board in Steamboat and 12-person advisory panel in Craig, its mission is to put the community first. "It starts with an ownership group of about 50 local families," President P.J. Wharton said. "We offer fair banking and encourage community involvement among our employees."

Between ownership and employees, it's involved in 25 local community organizations and nonprofits and sponsors countless events.

"An advantage of being locally owned is that, where bigger banks make decisions by formula in another state, we understand and know the people here," Wharton said. "We make local decisions, represent the community and are absolutely committed to northwest Colorado."